Since the start of industry getting involved in farming in 1945 farmers have been continually encouraged to produce more and progressively getting paid less. Then in the late 1870s industry intensified its influence on farming due to farm workers moving off farm to cities to work in factories.
Farmers had to mechanize to cover labor shortages. This was a turning point between farmers and the village people who were dependent on the farmer and what was produced on the farm. Quickly traders and retailers started up to provide value-added items like flour and people’s involvement in food production slowly ceased until they became mere consumers.
And so, industry has progressively developed in value adding, food processing and packaging making convenience foods thus further separating people from food production and the farmer. It’s now got to an absurd level that children have to be taught that food originates from farms and farm animals.
At the same time another large industry has strongly developed to supply farmers with a wide range of inputs. This farm supply industry is grown so large that it now strongly influences the scientific world. The farm education providers, agricultural departments and our political system through massive lobbying and the fund providing industry has set itself up with all the above-mentioned supports to be the absolute essential providers for the economical existence of farming.
Farmers are being encouraged to get bigger, produce more, to be export efficient only to get paid less for their produce. The biggest killer to profit is industrial inputs. As Peter Andrews said, in the 50s farmers were the most prosperous people in our society now, they are the poorest and they carry the worst debts.
It’s good to know the background of industrial farming to welcome the good news of a growing large number of farmers backing away from the industry driven mania. These farmers are not only increasing production, increasing profits, increasing soil health but are increasing the satisfaction of running their farms by embracing biological farming.
The farmers who are putting practices in place so that plants can efficiently absorb atmospheric gases like carbon dioxide and other atomic particles and sub atomic matter and transfer them into the soil via the mycorrhizal sphere to form organic carbon humus and healthy topsoil. They are experiencing unheard-of good results while industry and its hangers on don’t want to truthfully recognize farming methods that promote and enhance the balance of a healthy soil biology. In fact a healthy, living soil is key to successful, long term farming while industrial systems are badly hurting farmers.
